West Ada School District security guard arrested on duty for felony stalking
Meridian Idaho Feb 20, 2022
A security officer at Meridian High School was arrested on school grounds and charged with felony stalking after violating a restraining order from a woman multiple times last month, according to police and court records obtained by the Idaho Statesman.
Ryan Todd Anderson, 30, was arrested Jan. 21 and charged with felony stalking in the first degree after he allegedly broke the yearlong restraining order filed by a 30-year-old woman. He’s been employed with the West Ada School District for over six years, spokesperson Char Jackson told the Idaho Statesman.
In a five-day span, Anderson sent approximately 99 texts and nine emails to the woman, and made 226 phone calls to her, Nampa Police Detective Tim Onofrei wrote in court records, describing the messages as “vulgar, verbally abusive and physically threatening.”
According to the records, Anderson also threatened to “cut her brake line resulting in a car wreck” with her children in the vehicle.
The woman told police that Anderson also took nude photographs of her without her consent and threatened to send the photos to her children and friends, according to police records. He also made threats to kill himself, she told police.
The Idaho Statesman is withholding the name of the woman due to the nature of the charge and concerns over her safety.
Along with the arrest, Anderson was served with a no-contact order on Jan. 21, according to online court records. He is prohibited from coming into contact with the woman until January 2024.
Under Idaho law, a protection order prohibits the involved party from both physical contact and electronic communication. If a defendant breaks the terms of a no-contact order, they could be imprisoned for up to a year in county jail and/or fined up to $1,000. The Canyon County Prosecutor’s Office submitted a criminal complaint against Anderson on Jan. 21, according to online records. The complaint echoed the claims that Anderson repeatedly called and texted the woman and threatened her and her children. Anderson’s bail was set at $50,000, Ada County Sheriff Office’s spokesperson Patrick Orr told the Statesman by email. Anderson posted bail on Jan. 24, and his next court hearing is Feb. 22 at Canyon County Magistrate Court.
Jackson said Anderson was not “present” in any of the district’s buildings as of Monday. He was last in a school building for four hours on Jan. 28, she said.. Anderson has been employed by the West Ada School District since Aug. 21, 2015, Jackson said, and previously worked as a paraprofessional. The West Ada School District has not responded to questions about whether Anderson was placed on paid or unpaid leave. The district’s online policy manual states that an employee must inform their supervisor in the event they “have been charged with, arrested, or convicted of any felony.” He is currently employed by the district, Jackson said. The manual states that actions that include willful violation of federal or state law “or other negligent conduct that may endanger the health or safety of another may be cause of immediate dismissal.”
idahostatesman.com
